PROVIDING VIDEO PROGRAMS WITH IDENTIFIABLE AND MANAGEABLE VIDEO STREAMS
Methods and systems for the efficient and non-redundant transmission of a single video program in multiple frame rates, optionally employing a combination of video coding standards, in a way that is backwards-compatible with legacy receivers only supportive of some subsection of frame rates or of some subsection of video coding standards.
1 . A method, comprising:
providing association information for a program, the program comprised of a multiplexed plurality of streams (MPOS), the association information providing a plurality of stream associations, wherein each respective stream association consists of a stream type and a respectively corresponding identifier for packets of the stream in the MPOS (IFPOTSITM), wherein the stream type of a first stream association and a second stream association of the plurality of stream associations correspond to video, wherein the IFPOTSITM for the first and second stream associations are different.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first stream association has a first stream type value and the second stream association has a second stream type value.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the stream type for the first stream association corresponds to a first video coding specification and the stream type for the second stream association corresponds to a second video coding specification.
4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the stream type for the first stream association and the stream type for the second stream association corresponds to the same video coding specification.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising multiplexing into a transport stream a first video stream and a second video stream of the MPOS, the second video stream complementary to the first video stream, wherein the first video stream comprises a first representation of the program and a combination of the first and second video streams comprise a second representation of the program.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the first video stream and the second video stream correspond to the program.
7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein multiplexing comprises interspersing a compressed picture of the first video stream between two or more consecutive compressed pictures of the second video stream.
8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising transmitting the interspersed compressed pictures, wherein the number of consecutive compressed pictures of the first video stream is equal to the number of consecutive compressed pictures of the second video stream.
9 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising transmitting the interspersed compressed pictures, wherein the number of consecutive compressed pictures of the first video stream is not equal to the number of consecutive compressed pictures of the second video stream.
10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing compressed pictures of first and second video streams of the MPOS to one or more bit buffers according to one or more bit management policies based on a first video specification, a second video specification, or a combination of both.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein providing the compressed pictures is further based on a transport stream specification.
12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising providing an indication of the one or more bit management policies in the transport stream.
13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing compressed pictures of first and second video streams of the MPOS to a first bit buffer;
reading the compressed pictures from the first bit buffer;
prepending a first IFPOTSITM to packets of the first video stream;
prepending a second IFPOTSITM to packets of the second video stream; and
transmitting the first and second video streams.
14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing compressed pictures of first and second video streams of the MPOS to a first bit buffer and second bit buffer, respectively;
reading the compressed pictures from the first bit buffer and second bit buffer;
prepending a first IFPOTSITM to packets of the first video stream;
prepending a second IFPOTSITM to packets of the second video stream; and
transmitting the first and second video streams.
15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing presentation time stamps, wherein the presentation time stamps corresponding to compressed pictures in first and second video streams of the MPOS are in reference to a common clock.
16 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising a third IFPOTSITM corresponding to the video, the third IFPOTSITM different than the IFPOTSITM for the first and second stream associations.
17 . An apparatus, comprising:
a memory; and
one or more processors configured to provide association information for a program, the program comprised of a multiplexed plurality of streams (MPOS), the association information providing a plurality of stream associations, wherein each respective stream association consists of a stream type and a respectively corresponding identifier for packets of the stream in the MPOS (IFPOTSITM), wherein the stream type of a first stream association and a second stream association of the plurality of stream associations correspond to video, wherein the IFPOTSITM for the first and second stream associations are different.
18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the first stream association has a first stream type value and the second stream association has a second stream type value, wherein the first stream type value is different than the second stream type value.
19 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the stream type for the first stream association corresponds to a first video coding specification and the stream type for the second stream association corresponds to a second video coding specification.
20 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the stream type for the first stream association and the stream type for the second stream association corresponds to the same video coding specification.